Airbnb offering a lift to federal employees

Airbnb has about 60,000 hosts in New York. According to an internal survey from the company, five percent of them are made up of federal employees. With the government shutdown going on four weeks, Airbnb is announcing a new program that will help give extra cash to furloughed workers or ones without pay.

“As we’ve been monitoring the situation, we’ve recognized that there are members of our community who are impacted by the shutdown and we’ve felt strongly that we needed to step in and help,” explained Liz DeBold Fusco, Airbnb Northeast Press Secretary.

As part of an incentive called "A Night On Us", hosts who share their homes for at least three nights between December 18, 2018 and March 18, 2019 will get paid for an extra night.

“Any federal executive branch employee who either hosts a three-night stay in their home or hosts one of our experiences will get basically an extra night up to $110,” Fusco said.

An average night stay at an Airbnb costs $110. According to the Airbnb website, a typical U.S. host makes $8,700 each year by sharing their homes.

“At a moment in which many federal employees are going without a paycheck, we hope this little financial boost will be a help to them,” Fusco said.

Hosts can find more information regarding "A Night On Us" at the Airbnb website.